Arizona AG proposes arming school staff

PHOENIX, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Each Arizona school could name one worker to keep a gun, a proposal Attorney General Tom Horne said was an option between arming all teachers and doing nothing.

Horne, a Republican elected in 2010, has proposed a voluntary program in which each school could nominate one employee to receive free firearms training by local sheriffs and the attorney general's office, Politico reported Thursday. The individual would be allowed to keep a weapon in a locked container at the school.

"The ideal solution would be to have an armed police officer in each school," Horne said in a statement Wednesday, but that may not be possible because of cost.

"In that case, the next best solution is to have one person in the school trained to handle firearms, to handle emergency situations, and possessing a firearm in a secure location," he said. "This proposal is analogous to arming pilots on planes."

Republican lawmakers in statehouses across the country have proposed allowing concealed carry of weapons on school grounds or arming some teachers following the Dec. 14 killing of 26 people, 20 of them children, at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

Teachers unions have fought such proposals, with two top national unions saying the focus should be on "ways to keep all guns off school property."

The National Rifle Association proposed placing an armed guard in every school across the country.

Arizona House Majority Leader David Gowan, R-Sierra Vista, said he would introduce the proposal, a release from Horne's office said.

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today's UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.

A Spanish version of the site reaches millions of readers in Latin America and beyond.

UPI was founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press (UP). It became known as UPI after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. Today, UPI is owned by News World Communications.